‘Double Bill: Kaijin Kaiwa – Mary Lattimore’

On the closing evening of Opening Week, Bozar presents a double bill of two projects with a distinctive sound.
Kaijin Kaiwa consists of Nicolas Rombouts (SPOOK, Studio Caporal) and Sjoerd Bruil (Millionaire, Dez Mona, Mauro). On bass and electric guitar, the duo performs an unexpected mixture of drone, noise and guitar riffs. Their first album, Master of Universe, came out in 2024 and consists of live improvisations in the studio that have been meticulously edited and enriched with extra sounds. Kaijin Kaiwa, which means nothing other than a ‘conversation between two mythic monsters’, certainly seems to be the perfect name for this adventurous duo.

The American harpist Mary Lattimore loves playing for people who have never seen a harp or believe a harp is a museum piece. Lattimore wants to make the instrument approachable, and she does so convincingly. As the daughter of a harpist, she started playing at the age of eleven, attended the prestigious Eastman School of Music, and has since developed a characteristic style of her own. The clarity of Lattimore’s playing gains extra layers from an array of effect pedals, resulting in serene ambient. Her latest album, Goodbye, Hotel Arkada (2023) is a poignant meditation on transience. Hear at Bozar how Lattimore conjures the airiest of sounds from her ‘enormous, 88-pound sculpture’, as she calls her harp. Walt McClements provides extra reinforcement for her evocative music on the accordion.